Thera 1.56: Kutiviharin
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(56):Kutiviharin Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter I. Single Verses =56. Kuṭivihārin1= His story (in this life) is like that of Añjana-vaniya, with this difference: while striving for insight he was walking by the fields, and took shelter from the rain in the little empty hut of the field-watchman, and there won arahantship(enlightenment). Upon that the watchman came and said: 'Who is in the hut?' The answer was: 'A bhikkhu(monk) is in the hut,' and the rest of the verse: ---- 56 Ko kuṭikāyaɱ bhikkhu kiṭikāyaɱ|| Vītarāgo susamāhita citto|| Evaɱ jānāhi āvuso|| Amoghā te kuṭikā katā' ti.|| || ---- 56 Who's in my little hut? A bhikkhu (Monk) it is, Who in your little hut, all passions tamed, Has throughly set his mind. Know this, O friend, It was not for nothing you made your little hut! ---- Then the watchman said: 'Luck indeed for me, good luck indeed is mine, that your honour should have come into my little hut and be sitting there!' And the Exalted One(Buddha) heard their converse by his celestial 58 hearing, and discerned the watchman's pleasure. And he addressed these verses to him: Within the hut a Monk lives, peace in his heart, cleaned of all stain(sin). Fruit of this deed shall be to you: lord of the gods you will come to be Six times, yes, seven, lord of the gods, ruler over celestial realms, Thereafter all your passions tamed, a Silent Buddha2 you shall be. From that time the Thera began to be called Kuṭivihārin. ---- 1 I.e., hut-dweller; in the Commentary Kuṭivihāriya. 2 Pacceka-buddha. See Sisters, p. 11, n. 4. ---- 1.6-656 Commentary on the stanza of =Kuṭivihārī Thera= 6,1. The stanza starting with Ko Kuṭikāvaṃ constitutes that of the venerable Thera Kuṭivihārī. What is the origin? It is said that when the Blessed One Padumuttara was going through the sky, he collected cool water saying to himself: “I shall offer the charity of water,” became zestfully delighted, faced hilmself upwards and threw the water up. The Master came to know of his intention, accepted his offering even as He stood in the air for the purpose of well-increasing his pleasing piety. He aptly experienced immense zestful delight on that account. The rest is but identical with what has been said in the story of the Thera Añjanavaniya. This, however, is the difference. -- It is said that this one became a monk in the manner said already and having done his preliminary duties, duly devoted himself to the development of spiritual insight (vipassanā), and in the evening as he went by the neighbourhood of a cultivated field, on being pervaded by rain-shower, caught sight of a reed-cottage which was an act of merit of the field-watcher, entered it and there on a grass-spread he sat himself down. Even at the very moment he was seated the Thera gained congenial climatic weather, indulged himself in the development of spiritual insight (vipassanā) and attained Arahantship. Hence has it been stated in the Apadāna: “(On having seen) the golden complexioned self-awakened Buddha, going straight up in the air (anilañjasa), shining bright like sacrificial ghee-sprinkled fire (ghatāsanaṃ), as if burning at the alter of offering, I collected water in my palms and threw it up into the sky. Buddha, the merciful sage, the great hero accepted my offering. The Master named Padumuttara stood in the sky and uttered this stanza, since He knew my intention. By this offering of water and also with the springing up of zest he was never reborn in any evil existence for a hundred thousand aeons (kappa) even. O ruler of human-beings (dvipadinda)! O Eldest of the world, and bull among men! On account of that act, I have attained the unshaken site (of nibbāna) having nothing to do with conquest and defeat. Those three world-kings named A thousand Sovereigns (sahassarājā) (I became) sixty five hundred aeons (kappa) ago; they were rulers of people inhabiting all the en- circling earth (caturanta). My depravity had been burnt. … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out. 6,2. Having, however, attained Arahantship, when the Thera was seated there, the field-watcher came over and asked thus:– “Who is in the cottage?” On having heard it the Thera made his such a reply as begun with: “A bhikkhu(monk) is in the cottage.” Making together (ekajjha) this word of field watcher and that of the Thera as well, the singing together (saṅgītiṃ) had been set up (āropitā) in that like form (tathārūpa). 56. ”Who is in the cottage? A bhikkhu free from lust (vītarāga), well- composed in mind is in the cottage. Friend! Know you thus; not in vain had you made your cottage.” 56,1. There, ko kuṭikāyaṃ means:– questioning word of the field-watcher thus:– Who has been seated in this cottage? bhikkhu(monk) Kuṭikāyaṃ means: the reply of that Thera thus:– “A bhikkhu(monk) is in the cottage.” Then, having made that questioner glad accordingly (anumodāpetvā) over his accommodating himself in that cottage, because of his having become unsurpassed (anuttara) worthy recipient of dedicatory donations (dakkhiṇeyya), the statement starting with “vītarāgo” has been made in order to have that self-same act of merit enormously established (uḷārampatiṭṭhāpetuṃ). The meaning of that statement is:– “A certain bhikkhu(monk) who had broken down his depravity has been seated in your kuṭikāyaṃ (cottage); as a result of that even, that bhikkhu(is now) a vītarago (lustless) because he had his lust well cut off entirely by his attainment of top-most right path (magga); the mind (of that monk) has become Susamāhitacitto (well composed) because of the fact that his mind had been excellently well composed, having made nibbāna as his object of contemplation (ārammaṇa) by means of unsurpassed conentration (samādhi); āvuso (O friend field-watcher!) according as I speak to you this meaning also, evaṃ jānāhi (in the same manner you might know) do believe so and become clear about it (adhimuccassu). Amoghā te kuṭikā means:– The cottage created by you is not made in vain, is not barren, but bears fruitful result and yields congenial consequence (saudrayā), since it has been fully made use of by a canker-free Arahant. Should you be glad approvingly, that glad approval of yours will be conducive towards your welfare and happiness for a long period of time. 56,2. On having heard what the Thera said, the field-watcher became pious-minded saying to himself thus: “Indeed, there is my gain; surely my gain is excellent in that such a lord as this Thera entered my cottage and had himself seated in it” and stood being glad approvingly. This, their conversation, however, the Blessed One heard by means of the element of His divine ear and also came to know of the glad approval (anumodana) and therefore addressed the field-watcher with these stanzas in order to make manifest the prosperity that would accrue from it. “A tranquil-minded cankerless bhikkhu dwelt in the cottage; as a result of that act, you will become the sovereign of divine-beings. For thirty six times you will be divine- king and exercise celestial sovereignty. Thirtyfour times, you will be the world- king and become sovereign over a kingdom. (Lastly) you will get rid of your lust and become a silent buddha named Ratanakuṭi. 56,3. Because of the Thera’s condition of distinction having been gained, however, in the cottage (kuṭikā), first of all, beginning from that event, there arose for him but the very designation Kuṭivihārī. That self-same stanza also happened to be the stanza signifying clearly (byākaraṇa) his Arahantship (aññā). The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Kuṭivihārī is complete. *********oOo********* ----